Sara Crocker
Audio By Carbonatix
February in Phoenix is for food lovers. It’s a time of year when there’s a steady stream of new and exciting openings. Plenty of tourists, plus friends and family members of residents, flock to the Valley to bask in this particularly balmy winter. That influx of folks gives us the welcome opportunity to revisit old favorites. It’s also the month of the Devour Culinary Classic, the two-day, gutbusting food fest hosted at the Desert Botanical Garden.
The month is short, but the list of places we visited around the Valley is long. We tried fresh takes on crudo and cabbage, as well as marvelous mezze and clever canapes.
Here are the five best dishes we tasted at Phoenix restaurants in February.
Crudo “Al Pastor” at Pretty Penny
509 E. Roosevelt St.
The name alone was intriguing enough to order — a hamachi crudo layered with notes of chile, pineapple and blue corn? Sign us up. What arrived on the plate was a colorful, deconstructed, elevated take on the trompo classic. The fresh fish caught our eyes and our taste buds first. But, a savory panna cotta, hidden underneath bits of pineapple, cilantro foam and puffed blue corn chicharrones, stuns. Each bite tastes like a tortilla fresh off the comal. Scoop everything onto a chicharron and the fresh, chilled dish transforms the familiar comfort of al pastor into a day party on the beach. Pretty Penny’s kitchen is now helmed by Chef Steven “Chops” Smith and he’s pulling no punches with inventive new dishes like this that leave us hungry for more.
Sara Crocker
Charred Cabbage at Valentine
4130 N. Seventh Ave.
At a restaurant like Valentine, which has tried-and-true bangers such as the elote pasta on the menu, it can be easy to default to previous hits. The restaurant’s charred cabbage is a reminder to always explore what’s new. A warning: this dish isn’t exactly a looker. When it arrived at our table, it looked positively petrified, like a charred, craggy exterior of a log burned nearly into charcoal. The flavor is anything but. The wedge of cabbage takes on a dark tone in part because it’s marinated in chintextle, a spicy Mexican chile paste. It’s then sous vide and finished on the grill. Each sturdy cabbage leaf becomes tender in the fiery chile paste. That heat is contrasted by two tangy condiments, a persimmon amba and a passionfruit-coconut yogurt. The balance of savory, sweet and tart had our table fighting for the last leaf of this smart, finessed dish.
Sara Crocker
Muhamara at Noor
10625 N. Tatum Blvd., #150
During a recent visit to Noor, we discovered the Middle Eastern restaurant’s mezze is a marvel. Among our favorite bites was Noor’s muhamara. The roasted red pepper shines in this mezze, lifted by tart pomegranate molasses, earthy walnuts and a hint of heat from chili paste. Scooped into the restaurant’s fresh-baked, puffed pitas or slathered over crisp zaatar-spiced flatbread, this sweet-and-tangy dip was so craveable, we couldn’t stop eating it. After reaching carb capacity, we found ourselves trying it with other mezze or simply eating it solo from our forks.
Sara Crocker
Cafe de Olla Flan from Minnow
4501 N. 32nd St.
In Good Spirits Hospitality, the restaurant group behind four notable Valley restaurants, had our favorite collection of bites and sips under one tent at the 2026 Devour Culinary Classic. Chef Bernie Kantak and his crew from Citizen Public House, The Gladly, Beginner’s Luck and Minnow put together a stellar slate capped off by a treat from pastry chef Benjamin Cadriel. The flan was infused with traditional cafe de olla made with cinnamon, clove and star anise. The result was a creamy custard with strong notes of coffee and warm spices. A topping of Arizona honey, caramel, and Chinese five-spice and pistachio crumble kicked everything up a notch. Luckily, those who didn’t make it to Devour can try Cadriel’s espresso flan, which inspired this riff, at the sushi and matcha bar Minnow.
Sara Crocker
K4 Prime Ribeye Pincho from Prado
4949 E. Lincoln Dr., Scottsdale
The chefs from Prado, the signature tapas-style restaurant at the Omni Scottsdale Resort & Spa at Montelucia, understood the assignment at Devour in more ways than one. Luxe meats were served from nearly every stall, and Prado nailed that first test by opting for ribeye from K4 Ranch. This handheld skewer also saved us from having to find a table to fork-and-knife it. Most importantly, this was a bite that offered tons of taste and texture. Chef Ariel Pallares placed skewered hunks of juicy beef onto a pool of sweet butternut-and-coconut puree, then topped it with an herbaceous, floral green peppercorn salsa verde and tender microgreen salad. Whether eaten together or separately, each element of this pincho popped. Alas, this dish lives in ephemera, but Prado cooks K4 Ranch ribeyes, with an optional green peppercorn salsa, nightly during dinner service.
